Cambodians mourn their former king

Mourners take pictures of a large portrait of the late former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk that was placed in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh Oct.16.

Samrang Pring / Reuters

Mourners gather to pay respects to the late former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh Oct. 16.

Wong Maye-e / AP

People mourn the death of former King Norodom Sihanouk at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Oct. 16.

Cambodia’s former king, Norodom Sihanouk, who freed the country from colonialism before becoming a tragic pawn through decades of turmoil, died on Monday in a Beijing hospital at the age of 89. Officials expect at least 100,000 people to line the route on Wednesday from the Phnom Penh airport to the Royal Palace where his body will lay in state during a week of official mourning.